Methods and apparatus for detection and reporting of vehicle operator impairment

ABSTRACT

A method for reporting vehicle operator impairment criteria is provided. The method determines, using a substance detection device installed inside a vehicle, a level of a substance or combination of substances associated with vehicle operator impairment; obtains vehicle status data from a plurality of sensors onboard the vehicle; determines a level of risk associated with vehicle operator behavior, using the obtained vehicle status data; and generates a report, comprising the determined level of the substance or the combination of substances and the determined level of risk.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the subject matter described herein relate generally tosystems that report impaired behavior of persons operating vehicles orheavy machinery. More particularly, embodiments of the subject matterrelate to detection and reporting of vehicle operator impairment due tosubstance abuse.

BACKGROUND

Operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol and other substancesis a global problem. Each year, many deaths and injuries areattributable to alcohol or drug related vehicular accidents. Alcoholimpairment fatalities comprise one-third of highway fatalities annually;there are over one hundred thousand fatalities globally associated withimpaired driving, and there are over one million injuries globallyassociated with impaired driving. Impairment is the largest singlefactor influencing traffic fatalities. To address this problem,technologies have been developed to test for the presence and levels ofalcohol and/or drugs, for the purpose of preventing a person under theinfluence from operating a motor vehicle.

Accordingly, it is desirable to utilize a method of reporting suchdriver impairment to an owner or responsible party of a vehicle, who maybe unaware of his/her vehicle being operated while the driver is underthe influence of alcohol or other substances. Furthermore, otherdesirable features and characteristics will become apparent from thesubsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technicalfield and background.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS

Some embodiments provide a method for reporting vehicle operatorimpairment criteria. The method determines, using a substance detectiondevice installed inside a vehicle, a level of a substance or combinationof substances associated with vehicle operator impairment; obtainsvehicle status data from a plurality of sensors onboard the vehicle;determines a level of risk associated with vehicle operator behavior,using the obtained vehicle status data; and generates a report,comprising the determined level of the substance or the combination ofsubstances and the determined level of risk.

Some embodiments provide a system for reporting impaired operation of avehicle. The system includes a substance detection module, configured toexamine a driver for presence of a substance that is likely to causeimpaired driving; a risk detection module, configured to determine arisk level associated with a current operation of the vehicle by thedriver; and a notification module. In some embodiments, the notificationmodule is configured to trigger an alert notification when the substancedetection module detects presence of the substance at a level exceedingan alert notification substance threshold; and the risk detection moduledetermines a risk level exceeding an alert notification risk threshold.

Some embodiments provide a system for determining timing and priority ofnotification of impaired driving. The system includes a processorarchitecture; a memory, communicatively coupled to the processorarchitecture, wherein the memory is configured to store received dataand instructions executable by the processor architecture; a pluralityof sensors, communicatively coupled to the processor architecture, andconfigured to collect data associated with operation of a vehicle; andan impairing substance detection unit, communicatively coupled to theprocessor architecture, and configured to test for a level of animpairing substance. In some embodiments, the processor architecture isconfigured to determine a presence and a level of the impairingsubstance, using data received from the impairing substance detectionunit; detect impaired driving behavior using data received from theplurality of sensors; determine a risk level based on the impaireddriving behavior; and initiate a report detailing the impaired drivingbehavior, the risk level, and the presence of an impairing substance.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the subject matter may be derived byreferring to the detailed description and claims when considered inconjunction with the following figures, wherein like reference numbersrefer to similar elements throughout the figures.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle that includes avehicle operator impairment detection functionality, in accordance withan exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart that illustrates an embodiment of reportingvehicle operator impairment criteria; and

FIG. 3 is a flow chart that illustrates another embodiment of reportingvehicle operator impairment criteria.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is merely illustrative in nature andis not intended to limit the embodiments of the subject matter or theapplication and uses of such embodiments. As used herein, the word“exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.”Any implementation described herein as exemplary is not necessarily tobe construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations.Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed orimplied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background,brief summary or the following detailed description.

The subject matter presented herein relates to methods and apparatusused to detect and report vehicle operator impairment due to alcoholand/or drug use. In certain embodiments, the system identifies a driverand vehicle type, and then detects a presence and measures a level ofalcohol and/or drugs. The system then utilizes various predeterminedthreshold values to send a report or notification to an owner, orresponsible party, of the vehicle, including data associated with driverimpairment. Within the context of this application, the terms “owner”and “responsible party” may refer to any person holding some type ofproperty right or interest over the vehicle in question, or any personin a position of responsibility or oversight over one or more vehicles.For example, a supervisor that oversees a fleet of limousines, taxicabs, or school buses may or may not hold a direct property interest inany of the vehicles themselves, but may still be considered aresponsible party for the purposes of oversight and monitoring ofvehicle operator impairment and/or exhibiting risky behavior.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of avehicle 100 that includes a vehicle operator impairment detectionsystem, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The vehicle 100 maybe any one of a number of different types of types of automobiles (cars,trucks, motorcycles, sport-utility vehicles, vans, etc.), aviationvehicles (such as airplanes, helicopters, etc.), watercraft (boats,ships, jet skis, etc.), trains, all-terrain vehicles (snowmobiles,four-wheelers, etc.), military vehicles (Humvees, tanks, trucks, etc.),rescue vehicles (fire engines, ladder trucks, police cars, emergencymedical services trucks and ambulances, etc.), spacecraft, hovercraft,and the like. Along these lines, the term vehicle operator indicates anyperson who assumes the majority of the responsibility for operating thevehicle at a certain time. In certain embodiments, a vehicle operatormay include an airline pilot or co-pilot, a driver of an automobile, anengineer of a train, or the like.

In accordance with some embodiments, the vehicle 100 may include,without limitation: an operator impairment detection and reportingsystem 102; a control unit 104; a plurality of sensors 106; a userinterface 108; an identification module 110; a substance detectionmodule 112; a risk detection module 114; and a notification module 116.These elements and features of the vehicle 100 may be operativelyassociated with one another, coupled to one another, or otherwiseconfigured to cooperate with one another as needed to support thedesired functionality—in particular, the detection of vehicle operatorimpairment and reporting functionality described herein. For ease ofillustration and clarity, the various physical, electrical, and logicalcouplings and interconnections for these elements and features are notdepicted in FIG. 1. Moreover, it should be appreciated that embodimentsof the vehicle 100 will include other elements, modules, and featuresthat cooperate to support the desired functionality. For simplicity,FIG. 1 only depicts certain elements that relate to the detection ofvehicle operator impairment and the drug and/or alcohol detectiontechniques described in more detail below.

The control unit 104 may be implemented using any application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuit, processor (shared,dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software orfirmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitablecomponents that provide the described functionality. In the exampleprovided, the control unit 104 executes the tasks of the processesdescribed herein, such as the tasks of the processes 200 and 300,described below in connection with FIGS. 2-3.

The plurality of sensors 106 located within the vehicle 100 arepositioned and configured to collect data detailing vehicle operations,including speed, acceleration/deceleration, lateralacceleration/deceleration, and any “erratic” driving maneuvers, such asswerving, braking with excessive force, etc. In certain embodiments, theplurality of sensors may include, without limitation, one or morespeedometers, accelerometers, brake sensors, and the like. Generally,the plurality of sensors 106 are polled by the control unit 104 and/orthe risk detection module 114 to obtain collected data. However, in someembodiments, the plurality of sensors 106 may also be set to deliverdata to the control unit 104 and/or the risk detection module 114without a specific request, after particular events or at specific timeintervals.

The user interface 108 includes a vehicle display and a means forproviding user input. The display exhibits various menus and potentialselections for a user to choose and view. In certain embodiments, themeans for providing user input may also be implemented as a touch-screenon the display itself. In other embodiments, the means for providinguser input may be external to the display itself, implemented as aseries of buttons, knobs, sliders, or a combination of a touch-screenwith external buttons, etc. The user interface 108 accepts user input todetermine what is shown on a vehicle display. For example, a user mightnavigate through a series of menus containing categories of informationfor potential display. Such information may include various operatingparameters, current settings, detected conditions, and the like.

The identification module 110 determines an identification of thevehicle operator and identifies a designation or type of vehicle forfurther analysis. In certain embodiments, the identity of the vehicleoperator is a simple distinction between an owner and a non-owner of thevehicle; in other embodiments, the identity may be more specific, usinga particular name for a vehicle operator. A designation, or type, of avehicle is an owner-configurable label that may be attached to eachvehicle 100, which characterizes permissible vehicle operation usingspecific parameters. For example, a given vehicle 100 may have any ofthe following vehicle types, without limitation: teen vehicle, fleetvehicle, valet vehicle, air transport vehicle, school bus vehicle, andthe like.

In some embodiments, the identification module 110 is able to determinean identity of an operator of the vehicle 100 using a personalized keyand/or key fob. A personalized key or key fob has been programmed for aparticular driver (e.g., Driver 1, Driver 2, etc.) and enables a vehicleoperator to alter certain settings of the vehicle 100 according tohis/her pre-programmed preferences. The identity of a vehicle operator,as provided by the identification module 110, is also available to othersystems for use in applications where a distinction between drivers isrequired.

Generally, the ignition key and/or key fob transmits a uniqueidentification code to the vehicle during its normal functionalrequests. The vehicle then associates the unique identification code forthat device with a unique driver number. This association of a uniqueidentification code with a unique driver number is commonly used in theautomatic configuration of vehicle seats, mirrors, and steering columnposition according to the saved preferences of a specific user. Further,it may also be used to automatically configure heating, ventilating, andair conditioning (HVAC) settings according to the saved preferences of aspecific user. In addition, a specific driver type, instead of merely aspecific driver, may be associated with a particular key or key fob.Since each key or key fob has a unique identification code that will beassociated with a unique driver number, anytime that particular key orkey fob is in use, the specified driver type would be assumed to be inoperation of the vehicle. For example, a specific ignition key may bespecified as belonging to a teen driver, and each time that specificignition key is used, a teen driver is assumed to be in operation of thevehicle.

In some embodiments, the identification module 110 utilizes biometricauthentication to determine an identity of an operator of the vehicle100, which may include, without limitation, facial recognitiontechnology, fingerprint recognition technology, retinal scan technology,voice recognition technology, or the like. In yet other embodiments,each operator of the vehicle 100 may have a unique password oralphanumeric code that must be entered before operating the vehicle 100.

The substance detection module 112 detects the presence of substanceswhich may impair a vehicle operator. Generally, the substance detectionmodule 112 detects the presence of alcohol and/or drugs, including bothprescription drugs and illegal drugs, but may also be configured todetect any substance which may be deemed to impair the ability of aperson to operate a vehicle safely. In certain embodiments, thesubstance detection module 112 not only detects a presence of suchsubstances, but also measures a level or amount of the detectedsubstance at any given time.

In some embodiments, the substance detection module 112 may be locatedinside and/or built into the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100.In certain embodiments, the substance detection module 112 may befactory-installed by the manufacturer of the vehicle, and in otherembodiments, the substance detection module 112 may be an aftermarketdevice installed or otherwise placed in the vehicle after manufacture.The substance detection module 112 may be implemented, wholly or inpart, utilizing tissue spectrometry, distant spectrometry,electrochemical impairment measurement, behavior impairment detection,and/or a combination of any of the previously listed technologies. Insome embodiments, the substance detection module 112 detects thepresence of substances actively, using for example, a breathalyzer intowhich a vehicle operator is required to actively exhale. In otherembodiments, the substance detection module 112 detects the presence ofsubstances passively, requiring no voluntary action on the part of thevehicle operator to obtain the necessary data, using for example, apassive breathalyzer.

The risk detection module 114 analyzes information regarding vehicleoperation to determine a level of risk associated with vehicle operatorbehavior. The risk detection module 114 determines whether or not thevehicle operator is exhibiting high risk behavior by determining aquantity and duration of maneuvers executed by a vehicle operator,including several pre-defined “high risk” maneuvers. In certainembodiments, high risk maneuvers may include, without limitation: high gaccelerations, high g decelerations, speeds above a designatedthreshold, lateral acceleration above a designated threshold, swerving,braking with force above a designated threshold, a maneuver which becategorized as “erratic” or “risky” driving, or any combination of theaforementioned driving maneuvers.

The plurality of sensors 106 provide data regarding vehicle operations,including executed driving maneuvers, that is processed by the riskdetection module 114 in an appropriate manner to determine whether ornot a vehicle operator is exhibiting high risk driving, which may occurat specified time intervals or upon exceeding a risk threshold. Dataprovided by the plurality of sensors 106 is analyzed and compared topre-defined threshold criteria, which may include a default riskthreshold within the system or may include a risk threshold configuredby a responsible party for a vehicle 100.

The notification module 116 receives information from the other modules(104, 110, 112, 114) in the operator impairment detection and reportingsystem 102 and reports the information to a responsible party of thevehicle 100. In certain embodiments, the report or notification is sentto the responsible party of the vehicle 100 in the form of an electroniccommunication, such as a courtesy telephone call, a text message, or anemail. In some embodiments, the report is retrievable from the displayportion of the user interface 108 of the vehicle 100 or from a webpageon the internet. In other embodiments, the report is retrievable fromthe display portion of a user interface of another vehicle, where bothvehicles share a common owner and/or responsible party.

In one embodiment, the notification module 116 includes or cooperateswith an onboard vehicle communication or telematics system, such as anOnStar® module commercially marketed and sold by the OnStar®corporation, which is a subsidiary of the assignee of the instantApplication, the General Motors Company, currently headquartered inDetroit, Mich. In embodiments wherein the notification module 116 is anOnStar® module, an internal transceiver may be capable of providingbi-directional mobile phone voice and data communication, implemented asCode Division Multiple Access (CDMA). In some embodiments, other 3Gtechnologies may be used to implement the notification module 116,including without limitation: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS) wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution(EDGE), Evolved EDGE, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), CDMA2000, and thelike. In some embodiments, 4G technologies may be used to implement thenotification module, alone or in combination with 3G technologies,including without limitation: Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+),Long Term Evolution (LTE) and/or Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A).

In certain embodiments, the notification module 116 may communicatereports using any network permitting data communication including, butnot limited to, cellular networks, satellite networks, open contentdelivery networks, the Internet, or any other digital networks basedupon TCP/IP or other conventional protocols, as well as combinationsthereof. The notification module 116 may also utilize a wide areanetwork (WAN), a local area network (LAN), or a combination thereofconforming to, for example, IEEE 802.3 and/or IEEE 802.11 standards andimplemented within the vicinity of the location of the vehicle 100 suchthat notification module 116 may join the network when the vehicle 100is parked and/or located within the general vicinity of the network.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart that illustrates an embodiment of a process 200of reporting operator impairment criteria. The various tasks performedin connection with a process described here may be performed bysoftware, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. Forillustrative purposes, the description of a process may refer toelements mentioned above in connection with FIG. 1. In practice,portions of a described process may be performed by different elementsof the described system, e.g., the control module, the user interface,the identification module, the substance detection module, the riskdetection module, the notification module, or other components of thesystem. It should be appreciated that a described process may includeany number of additional or alternative tasks, the tasks shown in thefigures need not be performed in the illustrated order, and that adescribed process may be incorporated into a more comprehensiveprocedure or process having additional functionality not described indetail herein. Moreover, one or more of the tasks shown in the figurescould be omitted from embodiments of a described process as long as theintended overall functionality remains intact.

For ease of description and clarity, this example assumes that theprocess 200 begins when a module or subsystem onboard the vehicledetermines a level of a substance or combination of substancesassociated with vehicle operator impairment (step 202). In certainembodiments, the substance may be alcohol, any designated or listed typeof drug (prescription, over the counter, illegal, etc.), a designated orlisted chemical or compound, or the like. A “combination of substances”will typically be a defined combination of at least two differentsubstances, wherein the different substances are determined to bepresent at or near the same time. For the example presented here, theonboard system monitors for the combination of alcohol and one or moredesignated drugs. Generally, the substance or combination of substancesincludes anything which may impair the ability of a person to operate avehicle. In some embodiments, the process 200 may detect a level of asubstance or combination of substances equal to zero, indicating a lackof presence of a substance associated with vehicle operator impairment.

Next, the process 200 obtains vehicle status data from a plurality ofsensors onboard the vehicle (step 204). In some embodiments, the process200 polls the plurality of sensors to obtain data, and in certainembodiments, this polling occurs on a timed loop. The plurality ofsensors may collect data from the time the ignition is turned on untilthe ignition is turned off, and the data may include a number and/ortime duration of specific driving maneuvers. These driving maneuvers mayinclude maneuvers labeled “high risk”, such as high g accelerations,high g decelerations, high speeds, high lateral acceleration readings,and the like. Other high risk driving maneuvers may be detected by theplurality of sensors, either alone or in combination with the previouslydescribed list of high risk maneuvers.

After obtaining vehicle status data from the plurality of sensors (step204), the process 200 determines a level of risk associated with vehicleoperator behavior, using the obtained vehicle status data (step 206).The determined level of risk indicates whether or not the associatedvehicle operator behavior falls into the category of “high risk”. Thelevel of risk is determined using factors such as the number andduration of high risk driving maneuvers performed within a specifiedtime period. In some embodiments, this specified time period may be adefault value existing in the system, and in other embodiments, thisspecified time period may be configured by an owner or responsible partyfor the vehicle. In addition, the number and time duration thresholdsmay include default values which may be altered by a responsible partyof the vehicle.

Next, the process 200 generates a report comprising the determined levelof the substance or combination of substances (step 208). Thisnotification is based on predetermined reporting rules which dictatethat notification must be given to an owner and/or responsible party ofa vehicle in certain situations. In some embodiments, thesepredetermined reporting rules include default parameters that have beenprogrammed into the system at the design level, and in otherembodiments, the predetermined reporting rules include parameters whichmay be configurable by a responsible party for a vehicle.

The predetermined rules include parameters for reporting vehicleoperating behaviors to an owner and/or responsible party of a vehicle.For example, these parameters include minimum thresholds for levels ofalcohol, drugs, and high risk vehicle operating behavior. Each thresholdis adjustable, and varies based on substance type, driveridentification, and vehicle type. The urgency of the report notification(e.g., immediate, delayed, retrieved by the user on demand, scheduled,or periodic) and the method of the report (e.g., courtesy call, textmessage, email, etc.) varies based on the extent of the measured levelabove the pre-defined, owner-configurable threshold. For example, for a17 year old driver, who is not the owner or responsible party of thevehicle, normal reporting procedures are used when detecting a range ofBlood Alcohol Content (BAC) of 0.02% to 0.05%, but when detecting arange of BAC above 0.05% an urgent text message is sent to a responsibleparty of the vehicle. In another example, for a 21 year old driver whois not a responsible party of the vehicle, normal reporting proceduresare used when detecting BAC above 0.05%, but an urgent text message issent to a responsible party of the vehicle when a detected BAC is over0.07%.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart that illustrates another, more detailed,embodiment of a process 300 of reporting operator impairment criteria.For ease of description and clarity, this example assumes that theprocess 300 begins when an onboard module or subsystem detects andmeasures a level of alcohol in a vehicle (step 302). In some situations,the detected level of alcohol may be zero; nonetheless, the “zero” levelis still recorded. Thereafter, the process 300 will store the dataassociated with the measured level of alcohol for further use andanalysis, and continue to the next step.

Next, the process 300 detects and measures a level of one or more drugsin a vehicle (step 304). In some embodiments, the one or more drugs mayinclude illegal drugs, prescription drugs, and/or any substance whichmay impair the ability of a person to operate a vehicle. The step ofdetecting and measuring of a level of one or more drugs in the vehicle(step 304) occurs under all circumstances, and is not changed orotherwise affected by any detection (or lack of detection) of thepresence of alcohol in the vehicle. At the completion of step 304, theprocess 300 may record data that indicates the presence (or lackthereof) of any number of monitored drugs and, if any of those drugs arepresent, the respective level or amount of the drugs present.

The process 300 then determines the identification of a vehicle operatorand a vehicle type (step 306). In some embodiments, the identificationmay simply indicate whether or not the current operator of the vehicleis also the owner and/or responsible party of the vehicle. In thisexample, the same default and/or owner-configurable thresholds andreporting rules may be applied to all non-owners or non-responsibleparties. In addition, a commonly used, default and/or owner-configurableset of thresholds and reporting rules for one or more owners orresponsible parties may be distinguished from those assigned tonon-owners or non-responsible parties. In this example, each specificcategory or group of vehicle operators (i.e., owners versus non-owners)has been assigned a common set of reporting rules within the system. Incertain embodiments, this is to ensure that more stringent reportingrules may be applied to a non-owner when operating a vehicle. In someembodiments, the identity of the vehicle operator may include a specificidentity of an individual, and in this example, an individual may beassigned driver-specific reporting rules within the system.

Generally, when a vehicle is designated as assigned to a particulargroup of vehicle operators, particular parameters and reporting rulesmay be assigned to the vehicle itself, such as reporting thresholdvalues for measured levels of alcohol and/or one or more drugs, orreporting threshold values including vehicle operating behavior. Incertain embodiments, the vehicle type includes a special category ofvehicle that is assigned to a particular group of vehicle operators,including without limitation, a teen vehicle, a valet vehicle, a fleetvehicle, a rental vehicle, etc. Teen vehicles may include those vehiclesdesignated by a responsible party as being operated primarily by one ormore young drivers. A responsible party may configure a teen vehiclewith specific thresholds for acceptable substance levels and/or risklevels that may be lower than those threshold levels that areappropriate for an older, more experienced driver. In this example, aresponsible party, such as a parent, may configure a teen vehicle withthresholds appropriate for a vehicle operator who is under the legal agefor drinking alcohol, or thresholds appropriate for a teen suspected ofconsuming recreational drugs. Additionally, responsible party mayconfigure a teen vehicle with specific thresholds for acceptable risklevels appropriate for a younger vehicle operator. Furthermore, avehicle which otherwise does not have a teen designation may stillidentify specific operators as teen operators, with their own reportingthresholds and criteria, based on the key or key fob used to operate thevehicle.

Valet vehicles may include those vehicles designated by a responsibleparty as being operated often by a valet or parking attendant. Aresponsible party may configure a valet vehicle with specific thresholdsfor acceptable substance levels and/or risk levels that reflectacceptable behavior for a valet or parking attendant. In this example, aresponsible party may prefer that a valet or parking attendant drivinghis/her vehicle not consume any alcohol or drugs, or participate in anyrisky behavior while operating the vehicle. Furthermore, a vehicle whichotherwise does not have a valet designation may still identify specificoperators as valet operators, with their own reporting thresholds andcriteria, based on the key used to operate the vehicle or upon aspecific valet mode entered by the owner or responsible party prior toconveyance of the vehicle to the valet operator.

Fleet vehicles may include those vehicles designated by a responsibleparty as being operated primarily by a plurality of professionallyemployed vehicle operators, such as taxis, limousines, school buses,ambulances, police cars, construction vehicles, and the like.Additionally, fleet vehicles may include boats, trains, and airplanes.In all of these cases, specific thresholds for acceptable substancelevels and/or risk levels may be set for a fleet of vehicles, by aresponsible party, such as a fleet supervisor. For example, anacceptable substance level for a school bus driver or an ambulancedriver may be set to zero, or whatever threshold level deemedappropriate by a responsible party for the fleet.

Rental vehicles may include those vehicles designated by a responsibleparty as being operated primarily by paying customers for a temporaryperiod of time before being returned, such as cars, trucks, sportutility vehicles, or recreational vehicles, such as snowmobiles,all-terrain vehicles, and jet skis. A responsible party, such as anowner, may configure his/her rental vehicles with specific thresholdsfor acceptable substance levels and/or risk levels. For example, anacceptable substance level for a rental jet ski may be set to a BloodAlcohol Content (BAC) of 0.02%, possibly allowing for a drink or two onthe part of the vehicle operator, which is well under the legal limitfor vehicle operation.

The step of determining the identification of a vehicle operator and avehicle type (step 306) results in the process 300 accessing orconsulting a specific group of thresholds, which are dictated by thevehicle operator identification and the vehicle type. Once the process300 has accessed this specific group of thresholds, these thresholds maybe applied as needed to support the remaining steps in the process 300.

Next, the process 300 determines a risk level (step 308), based onmaneuvers executed during vehicle operation. An acceptable threshold forthe risk level is an owner-configurable parameter, and reporting rulesgoverning what constitutes high risk behavior will depend upon owner orresponsible party preference. An appropriate threshold for high riskbehavior is configured by the owner or responsible party, utilizing anumber of occurrences within a specified time period and/or timeduration of high risk maneuvers. For example, an owner may configure thesystem to dictate that two lateral g accelerations in a ten minuteperiod for a fleet vehicle indicates high risk behavior, or that speedsabove 80 miles per hour for a period of ten minutes indicates high riskbehavior. In another example, an owner may configure the system todictate that any type of “panic” braking (i.e., braking hard) in a teenvehicle indicates high risk behavior. For this particularimplementation, step 308 results in a determination of whether or nothigh risk driving has been detected.

The process 300 then proceeds to determine if an illicit drug is present(step 310). In certain embodiments, an illicit drug includes an illegalcontrolled substance which may or may not have a legitimate medical useand which has the capability to impair the ability of a person tooperate a vehicle. In some embodiments, an illicit drug may include alegal controlled substance, such as a legal recreational drug which hasthe capability to impair the ability of a person to operate a vehicle.

When the presence of an illicit drug has been confirmed (the “Yes”branch of 310), the process 300 triggers an alert report of theinformation (step 330) to a responsible party of the vehicle. This alertreport may include a courtesy telephone call, a text message, an email,or a report appearing on a vehicle display. In some embodiments, analert report is issued immediately (or within a reasonably short periodof time, such as one minute, five minutes, or the like), once the alertreport has been triggered. In practice, an alert report can be triggeredonce a threshold level of the substance has been exceeded, or an alertreport can be triggered merely upon detection of the presence of aspecific substance or combination of substances.

Following the alert report of the information (step 330), the process300 also stores the data for periodic reporting (step 334), and thenreturns to the beginning of the process (step 302). In certainembodiments, periodic reporting may include a report issued to aresponsible party of the vehicle at specified time intervals. Forexample, periodic reporting may include a generated monthly report thatis transmitted electronically (e.g., via email), via conventionaldelivery methods (e.g., via postal mail), and/or transmitted to avehicle display within the vehicle itself, or another designatedvehicle.

When the presence of an illicit drug has not been confirmed (the “No”branch of 310), the process 300 proceeds to determine if a prescription(or any designated type) drug, in combination with alcohol, is present(step 312). When the presence of a prescription drug in combination withalcohol is present (the “Yes” branch of 312), the process 300 triggersan alert report of the information (step 330). As described previously,this alert report (step 330) leads to storing the data for periodicreporting (step 334), and then returning to the beginning of the process(step 302).

When the presence of a prescription drug in combination with alcohol isnot present (the “No” branch of 312), the process 300 proceeds todetermine if the vehicle type is within a special category (step 314).

When the vehicle has been determined to be in a special category (the“Yes” branch of 314), and is determined to be conducting high riskdriving maneuvers (the “Yes” branch of 316), the process 300 will setlow thresholds, based on the special category of the vehicle, for bothalert and periodic reporting (step 318). For example, if a teen vehicleis determined to be conducting high risk driving maneuvers, the process300 will set low reporting thresholds, so that the owner of the teenvehicle will be notified when a relatively small amount of high riskbehavior is exhibited by an operator of the teen vehicle. In thisexample, an owner or responsible party is notified before the risk hasthe opportunity to escalate.

When the vehicle has been determined to be in a special category (the“Yes” branch of 314), and is determined not to be conducting high riskdriving maneuvers (the “No” branch of 316), the process 300 will setnormal thresholds, based on the special category of the vehicle, forboth alert and periodic reporting (step 320). For example, if a fleetvehicle is determined not to be conducting high risk driving maneuvers,the process 300 will set normal reporting thresholds, so that aresponsible party of the fleet vehicle will be notified when a normalamount of high risk behavior is exhibited by an operator of the fleetvehicle. In this example, a normal amount of high risk behavior is aparameter that is configurable by a responsible party of the vehicle. Incertain embodiments, a normal threshold may be set at 25% above a50^(th) percentile of an average range of daily driving behavior, whenthe average range is calculated for each driving maneuver over aspecified period of time.

When the vehicle has been determined not to be in a special category(the “No” branch of 314), and is determined to be conducting high riskdriving maneuvers (the “Yes” branch of 322), the process 300 will setlow thresholds, based on the identity of the vehicle operator, for bothalert and periodic reporting (step 324). In certain embodiments,pre-defined thresholds are stored within the system and retrieved andapplied to specific circumstances when necessary. In some embodiments, alow reporting threshold for a measured level of alcohol for a particulardriver would not be considered a low reporting threshold for a measuredlevel of alcohol for another driver. For example, the process 300 mayset a normal reporting threshold of 0.08% Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)for a valet vehicle, because this particular value of BAC would resultin arrest for a vehicle operator in any location in the United States. Alow reporting threshold, in this example, would be 0.04% BAC, and thislow reporting threshold may be deemed necessary by a responsible partyof the vehicle when high risk behavior is exhibited by a valet vehicleoperator. In another example, the process 300 may set a normal reportingthreshold of 0.01% BAC for a teen vehicle, and the “low” reportingthreshold of 0.04% set for a valet vehicle, in this case, would not beconsidered a low reporting threshold for the teen vehicle.

If the vehicle has been determined not to be in a special category (the“No” branch of 314), and is determined not to be conducting high riskdriving maneuvers (the “No” branch of 322), the process 300 will setnormal thresholds, based on the identity of the vehicle operator, forboth alert and periodic reporting (step 326). For example, an owner andspouse of the owner may be identified as individuals within an operatorimpairment detection and reporting system, and when either the owner orthe spouse are determined to be driving normally (i.e., not conductinghigh risk driving maneuvers), the process 300 will set normal reportingthresholds for each, based on pre-defined, owner-configurableparameters. In this example, the owner may have set his/her own normalthreshold for BAC as 0.08%, but the owner may have set a normal BACreporting threshold for his/her spouse of 0.02%.

After setting the applicable reporting thresholds (steps 318, 320, 324,326), the process 300 determines whether a detected level is greaterthan the threshold that has been set for an alert report (step 328). Thedetected level indicates the previously detected and measured levels ofalcohol and/or one or more drugs, and the process 300 compares theselevels to the pre-defined thresholds that have been selected by theprocess 300 based on exhibited high risk behavior or lack thereof.

When the detected level has been determined to be greater than thethreshold for an alert report (the “Yes” branch of 328), the process 300triggers an alert report (step 330), followed by storing the applicabledata for periodic reporting (step 334) and returning to the beginning ofthe process (step 302). When the detected level has been determined notto be greater than the threshold for an alert report (the “No” branch of328), the process 300 proceeds to determine if the detected level isgreater than the threshold that has been set for periodic reporting(step 332). If so (the “Yes” branch of 332), then the process 300 storesthe data for periodic reporting (step 334), and then returns to thebeginning of the process (step 302). If not (the “No” branch of 332),then the process 300 returns to the beginning of the process (step 302).

In certain embodiments, periodic reporting in the system may include areport that is generated at time intervals, such as a weekly or monthlyreport. In some embodiments, the report is appended to analready-generated monthly email report for OnStar®, which detailsvarious parameters related to operation of a vehicle. In someembodiments, the weekly or monthly report is delivered to a responsibleparty of the vehicle via mailed or faxed hardcopy, email report,reported data sent via text message, and/or vehicle display report.

The data that is included in the periodic reporting (step 334) includesall data applicable for an alert report (step 330) and periodicreporting. All data meeting the criteria for an alert report is storedfor periodic reporting. In addition, due to owner-configurableparameters and thresholds, an owner may configure the system to reportall data, an owner-selected subset of data, or no data at all.Generally, data included in an alert report includes an indication thata pre-defined, owner-configurable threshold has been exceeded, and thisparticular threshold has been selected by the owner as requiringimmediate attention when exceeded. In certain embodiments, an alertreport only includes a measured level of one or more impairingsubstances present in the vehicle, in which the measured level exceeds apre-defined threshold.

In some embodiments, data included in a periodic report may include,without limitation: average substance level, peak substance level,number of times a pre-defined threshold exceeded, number of timesvehicle start and/or vehicle usage is inhibited, number of times anysubstance is detected, operation of any system overrides/backupmechanisms which may be present, and/or detailed reporting of anydetected high risk driving maneuvers. The average and peak substancelevels may be calculated over a specified period of time. Generally, theaverage substance level may be represented by a mean, median, or mode,of all detected substance levels over a period of time, according todesigner preference and/or owner-configuration. The peak substance valuemay be represented by the highest detected level of a substance over aperiod of time configured by an owner or responsible party of thevehicle. In some embodiments, the average and peak substance levels mayinclude data regarding a presence and/or level of a combination ofsubstances. In certain embodiments, an owner or responsible party mayconfigure the average and peak substance levels to be calculated on amonthly basis, to be included in a monthly periodic report. In someembodiments, the average and peak substance levels may be calculated ona weekly basis, or another period of time configured by a responsibleparty, and reported on a periodic report generated according to anyspecified time interval.

The number of times a pre-defined threshold is exceeded may becalculated over a specified period of time, which may be configured by aresponsible party of the vehicle. The pre-defined threshold may be anysubstance level or risk level threshold relevant or applicable to theprocess of reporting vehicle operator impairment (shown in FIGS. 2-3).In certain embodiments, a responsible party may configure the number oftimes a pre-defined threshold is exceeded to be calculated on a weeklyor monthly basis, to be included in a periodic report generatedaccording to any specified time interval.

The number of times vehicle start and/or vehicle usage is inhibited mayalso be calculated over a specified period of time, which may beconfigured by a responsible party of the vehicle. In certainembodiments, this may be performed in addition to either a voluntary orcourt-ordered installation of a vehicle/ignition interlock system whichimmobilizes the vehicle for certain (or any) operators based upondetection of specific substances. For example, a vehicle could beequipped with a breathalyzer based alcohol detection system whichrequires the sampling of breath alcohol content before allowing thestarting event on every driver cycle. For such a vehicle installation,the number of starting events for which starting is authorized, as wellas those events for which starting is inhibited, may be counted inaggregate or over the period of time between reporting events.

The number of times any substance is detected may be calculated over aspecified period of time, and generally indicates any time the detectedlevel of a substance is greater than zero. In certain embodiments, aresponsible party may configure the number of times any substance isdetected to be calculated on a weekly or monthly basis, to be includedin a periodic report generated according to any specified time interval.

The operation of any system overrides/backup mechanisms which may bepresent indicates anytime a vehicle operator disables the vehicleoperator impairment reporting mechanism, or creates a condition in whichthe vehicle operator behavior or impairment will not be reported. Theoperation of any system overrides/backup mechanisms may be countednumerically over a period of time, to be included in a periodic reportgenerated according to any specified time interval.

Detailed reporting of any detected high risk driving maneuvers mayinclude a numerical count and/or time duration of any detected high riskdriving maneuvers, along with additional data collected by varioussensors in the vehicle. Generally, over a specified period of time, highrisk driving maneuvers are identified, counted, timed, and attributed toan identified vehicle operator. In certain embodiments, all of this datais included in a periodic report, generated according to any specifiedtime interval. In some embodiments, only a portion of the data isincluded in the periodic report, as configured by a responsible party ofthe vehicle.

Techniques and technologies may be described herein in terms offunctional and/or logical block components, and with reference tosymbolic representations of operations, processing tasks, and functionsthat may be performed by various computing components or devices. Suchoperations, tasks, and functions are sometimes referred to as beingcomputer-executed, computerized, software-implemented, orcomputer-implemented. In practice, one or more processor devices cancarry out the described operations, tasks, and functions by manipulatingelectrical signals representing data bits at memory locations in thesystem memory, as well as other processing of signals. The memorylocations where data bits are maintained are physical locations thathave particular electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic propertiescorresponding to the data bits. It should be appreciated that thevarious block components shown in the figures may be realized by anynumber of hardware, software, and/or firmware components configured toperform the specified functions. For example, an embodiment of a systemor a component may employ various integrated circuit components, e.g.,memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements,look-up tables, or the like, which may carry out a variety of functionsunder the control of one or more microprocessors or other controldevices.

While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in theforegoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vastnumber of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that theexemplary embodiment or embodiments described herein are not intended tolimit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claimed subjectmatter in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description willprovide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map forimplementing the described embodiment or embodiments. It should beunderstood that various changes can be made in the function andarrangement of elements without departing from the scope defined by theclaims, which includes known equivalents and foreseeable equivalents atthe time of filing this patent application.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for reporting vehicle operatorimpairment criteria, comprising: determining, using a substancedetection device installed inside a vehicle, a level of a substance orcombination of substances associated with vehicle operator impairment;obtaining vehicle status data from a plurality of sensors onboard thevehicle; determining a level of risk associated with vehicle operatorbehavior, using the obtained vehicle status data; and generating areport, comprising the determined level of the substance or thecombination of substances and the determined level of risk.
 2. Themethod for reporting of claim 1, further comprising: determining anidentification of a driver of the vehicle, and based on theidentification of the driver of the vehicle: setting a driver-specificthreshold level of the substance or the combination of substances foralert reporting; and setting a driver-specific threshold level of thesubstance or the combination of substances for periodic reporting. 3.The method of reporting of claim 2, wherein the determining theidentification of the driver of the vehicle comprises analyzing a uniqueignition key used to operate the vehicle.
 4. The method for reporting ofclaim 1, wherein the generated report comprises a transmitted electroniccommunication from the communication device.
 5. The method for reportingof claim 1, further comprising, for a designated period of time:calculating an average level of the substance or the combination ofsubstances; and communicating the calculated average level of thesubstance or the combination of substances to the communication deviceto generate the report; wherein the report comprises the calculatedaverage level of the substance or the combination of substances.
 6. Themethod for reporting of claim 1, further comprising, for a designatedperiod of time: calculating a peak level of the substance or thecombination of substances; and communicating the calculated peak levelof the substance or the combination of substances to the communicationdevice to generate the report; wherein the report comprises thecalculated peak level of the substance or the combination of substances.7. The method for reporting of claim 1, further comprising, for adesignated period of time: determining a number of occurrences in whicha reading level for the substance or the combination of substancesexceeds a threshold level; and communicating the determined number ofoccurrences to the communication device to generate the report; whereinthe report comprises the determined number of occurrences.
 8. The methodfor reporting of claim 1, further comprising, for a designated period oftime: determining a number of occurrences in which the substance or thecombination of substances is detected; and communicating the determinednumber of occurrences to the communication device to generate thereport; wherein the report comprises the determined number ofoccurrences.
 9. The method for reporting of claim 1, further comprising,for a designated period of time: determining a number of system overrideactivations; and communicating the determined number of system overrideactivations to the communication device to generate the report; whereinthe report comprises the determined number of occurrences.
 10. A systemfor reporting impaired operation of a vehicle, the system comprising: asubstance detection module, configured to examine a driver for presenceof a substance that is likely to cause impaired driving; a riskdetection module, configured to determine a risk level associated with acurrent operation of the vehicle by the driver; and a notificationmodule, configured to: trigger an alert notification when: the substancedetection module detects presence of the substance at a level exceedingan alert notification substance threshold; and the risk detection moduledetermines a risk level exceeding an alert notification risk threshold.11. The system of claim 10, further comprising: an identificationmodule, configured to identify a driver and a designation of thevehicle; wherein the alert notification substance threshold iscalculated as a function of the determined risk level and theidentification of the driver.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein thealert notification substance threshold is further calculated as afunction of the determined risk level and the identified designation ofthe vehicle.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the alert notificationcomprises an electronic communication transmitted by the notificationmodule upon exceeding the alert notification substance threshold or thealert notification risk threshold.
 14. The system of claim 11, whereinthe notification module is further configured to: trigger periodicnotification when the substance detection module detects presence of thesubstance at a level exceeding a periodic notification substancethreshold; and trigger periodic notification when the risk detectionmodule determines a risk level exceeding a periodic notification riskthreshold.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the periodic notificationcomprises an email report generated and sent, at regular time intervals,to a responsible party of the vehicle.
 16. The system of claim 14,wherein, when the identification module identifies a driver that is nota responsible party of the vehicle and a designation of the vehicle thatindicates a special category vehicle, the notification module is furtherconfigured to: trigger an alert notification when the substancedetection module detects a level of the substance exceeding a secondalert notification substance threshold; trigger an alert notificationwhen the risk detection module determines a risk level exceeding asecond alert notification risk threshold; trigger periodic notificationwhen the substance detection module detects a level of the substanceexceeding a second periodic notification substance threshold; andtrigger periodic notification when the risk detection module determinesa risk level exceeding a second periodic notification risk threshold.17. A system for determining timing and priority of notification ofimpaired driving, the system comprising: a processor architecture; amemory, communicatively coupled to the processor architecture, whereinthe memory is configured to store received data and instructionsexecutable by the processor architecture; a plurality of sensors,communicatively coupled to the processor architecture, and configured tocollect data associated with operation of a vehicle; and an impairingsubstance detection unit, communicatively coupled to the processorarchitecture, and configured to test for a level of an impairingsubstance; wherein the processor architecture is configured to:determine a presence and a level of the impairing substance, using datareceived from the impairing substance detection unit; detect impaireddriving behavior using data received from the plurality of sensors;determine a risk level based on the impaired driving behavior; andinitiate a report detailing the impaired driving behavior, the risklevel, and the presence of an impairing substance.
 18. The system ofclaim 17, wherein the initiated report further comprises: an alertreport when the level of the impairing substance exceeds an alertnotification substance threshold; and a periodic report when the levelof the impairing substance exceeds a periodic notification substancethreshold.
 19. The system of claim 16, wherein the initiated reportcomprises a notification within a generated monthly vehicle data report.20. The system of claim 17, wherein the alert report comprises anelectronic communication transmitted upon exceeding an alert reportsubstance threshold or an alert report risk threshold.